


Lockstep

by NYWCgirl



Series: Abyssinia [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 04:43:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2760026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is a historic AU for the WC pilot. Neal is convicted to a chain gang and escapes; Peter is the agent on the case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lockstep

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank citrinesunset, who was generous with her precious time to beta this story and to make the wonderful art for this story. I do not own any of the WC characters and all mistakes and typos are mine. Please remember, this was my very first WC ic I wrote, back in July.
> 
> cross posted on http://nywcgirl.livejournal.com/6546.html

 

 

Auburn Prison, Saturday morning, August 20th 1934, 4.30 a.m.

The sound of hundreds of men waking up and baton sticks hitting the prison bars wake Neal.

He feels bad, weak, and when he looks at his ankles and wrists, he sees that his shackle sores got worse overnight. He is in shackles twenty-four hours a day and the iron grinds against his skin and rubs it raw. The sores are infected, which is not a surprise, as hygiene is basically nonexistent in this prison and medical attention is only given in life threatening cases. If this is not taken care of, it will become gangrenous, which Neal assumes can be considered a life-threatening problem. Neal knows that much about medicine, but there is nothing he can do about it right now, so he hauls himself out of bed and waits next to the cell door to be let out by a guard.

Once the doors are opened, Neal shuffles out of his cell and waits for the guards to call out to form a line to go to breakfast. As it is Saturday today, they will hopefully get a slice of bacon and some bread and coffee, a treat compared to the oatmeal they get on weekdays. Breakfast is eaten in total silence; this is taught very soon when you enter Auburn prison. You only speak when spoken to, Neal learned the hard way. They are in luck, although not bacon, they get a piece of cheese with their bread.

After breakfast, Neal follows his fellow inmates to the courtyard of the prison, where they will prepare for a fifteen-hour day of penal labor.

He is part of an eighteen-man chain gang, and the only Caucasian in the group. In the beginning, the other inmates, all much bigger than Neal, had made fun of the skinny white kid, but by now, he is accepted as one of their own. Their gang has three overseers. Bobby is OK, but Charles and Norman are sick bastards that enjoy a good whipping.

The ankle shackles (round shackles around each ankle, joined by a chain) are joined to a second chain, about three feet long. All together, the hobble weighs twenty pounds. Neal is a slim-built guy and the weight of the hobble wears him down. Even after more than three years of hard labor, he is still not used to it.

He locks his arms under the arms of the fellow inmate in front of him. Clarence has his face turned to the right, so Neal turns to the left. This is mandatory to prevent communication between the inmates. This rule is not common in chain gangs, but Charles and Norman thought this was a good way to show who is in charge of the men in their care. Their overseers chain all the hobbles together and they are good to go.

When Norman calls out that they are leaving, the convicts step off in unison, each raising their right foot high and shuffling with the left. This convict shuffle has to be done for a couple of miles until they get to the road they are working on. Bobby walks in front of the gang and Norman and Charles walk behind them, all three armed with a Winchester 1907. Today, Norman has to walk also, as his horse threw a shoe yesterday and they have to wait for a blacksmith that promised to come today. Normally, the chain gangs are overseen by one guard on horseback. It is a security measure as it is almost impossible to outrun an armed guard on horseback.

It is only 8 a.m. and it is already hot, the sun already heating up the road. It doesn´t help that their prison uniforms are made from wool.

When they arrive at the workplace, Norman unfastens the chain that connects the individual hobbles. Neal lets go of the inmate in front of him, gets the sledgehammer and starts working.

Around 10 a.m., Neal calls out "Wiping it off." He doesn´t get a response, so he doesn´t stop and continues working. An hour later he tries again and Bobby calls back "Wipe it off", so Neal stops for a moment and wipes the sweat off his face and neck. It also gives him a moment to stretch. But he also knows better than to pause too long, because only two days ago, he got a whipping because the guards thought he had done the least work that day. He can still feel the welts on his buttocks. Luckily, those are not infected and are healing well.

Lunch again is eaten in silence, in the searing sun. Luckily, they all wear straw hats. Otherwise, they would have perished a long time ago. They get sandwiches with a bit of jelly and a cup of water.

Neal is thinking and knows this is the day he needs to escape. He can´t wait any longer. Norman is not on horseback, but the blacksmith will probably fix the horseshoe today, so tomorrow Norman will be back on the horse, which will decrease his chances of getting away on foot. He can never outrun a horse to the forest, but has a chance when they are all on foot. The road they are working on is now closest to the forest. If he waits longer, he will have to run further to get to the cover of the trees. He makes up his mind: today is the day.

After lunch, there is a brief moment where he can ask a fellow inmate to free him by bending his shackles into an elliptical form. Neal puts his feet next to a rock and the prisoner swings the sledgehammer against Neal´s ankle. One miss and he will be permanently crippled, but Neal is desperate and takes his chance.

But it works and Neal has to remain calm not to step out of the shackles and make a run for it. He knows that if he leaves now, his fellow inmate will be killed for helping him escape, so he waits until some inmates are allowed to take a piss and then steps out of his shackles. The guards are pre-occupied with the other prisoners and don´t immediately catch on. Neal takes off like a bat out of hell. Even in his weakened state, the adrenaline gives him the strength to run as fast as he can.  
As the guards have no access to a horse, they aim their guns at Neal instead of giving pursuit. Norman runs back to the truck, the one that brought their tools, that is parked a bit further, to warn the warden.

 

*  *  * 

 

It is Saturday morning and Peter and El are visiting Peter´s parents, who live near Auburn. Peter had to visit the Auburn prison for a case he was working on in New York, and yesterday he had a meeting with one of the prisoners who wanted to testify. And since his parents live nearby, he decided to take El and Billie (their bloodhound) with him and to stay over the weekend in the cottage he still keeps near his parents. His birthday is in a few days and the trip to New York is too long for his parents, so it was easier and nice, he has to admit, to spend the weekend here and being pampered by his mother.  
  
At the moment, he is enjoying a delicious breakfast with El and his parents. His mom made French toast and some special coffee. As he is enjoying a second cup with his dad, El and his mom are doing the dishes in the kitchen. He will tend to the horses his dad keeps in a few minutes, but for now he is soaking in the peace and quiet of the small town he grew up in. New York is always busy and noisy.   
  
Around twelve o´clock, Peter and his dad return to the house for lunch. He gets treated to buttered nut bread and grapefruit juice.   
  
After lunch, he returns to the horses with his dad. They are busy with a young stallion when suddenly a car comes at high speed towards the paddocks. It stops in front of Peter and the guy that gets out identifies himself as US Marshal Thompson.   
  
"Which one of you is special agent Peter Burke?" the Marshal asks.   
  
"What is it to you?" Peter is curious.   
  
"Neal Caffrey escaped."   
  
_Neal Caffrey_ … Peter had been responsible for catching this young con-man more than three years ago. He was a rookie FBI-agent then and Caffrey was a case nobody wanted, so Peter was up for the challenge and pursued Caffrey. He had finally caught Caffrey after spending three years of his life chasing him down across different States, but the arrest had boosted his carrier. It almost immediately made him a senior agent and he now gets his own probies to train. He forgot that Caffrey was sentenced to Auburn prison.   
  
"Are they sure?" he asked the US Marshal.   
  
"That he escaped? Yeah. He just walked out of his chains and vanished into the forest."   
  
The US Marshal holds a paper, which he hands to Peter.   
  
"What is this?" Peter asks.   
  
"Temporary reassignment order."   
  
Peter calls for Billie and the bloodhound comes running towards him. Peter and Billie get into the car and Peter tells Thompson to stop at his parents house so he can warn his wife he is leaving and to get a gun.   
  
When they arrive at the road where the chain gang is working, Peter squints his eyes. The men standing in the chain gang look frightened; Caffrey escaping will have repercussions on all of them. Peter also notices that they are all black; Caffrey must have been the only Causation in the gang.   
  
"Thanks for the ride." Peter says when he gets out of the car and walks up to the other US Marshal, who introduces himself as David Parnis.   
  
"You´ll agree we have an unusual situation here," US Marshal Parnis says.   
  
Peter looks at him. "Why would a guy with four months left on a four-year sentence run?"   
  
Thompson leads Peter down to the row of prisoners. Peter sees the empty shackles that are still connected to the other inmates. He pauses for only one introduction…   
  
"Warden Haskley, this is Agent Burke, FBI."   
  
"So, you´re the guy that dropped the ball." Peter states.   
  
"You of all people should know what Neal Caffrey is capable off."   
  
"I know I spent three years of my life chasing him and you let him walk out of a chain gang." Peter points at the empty shackles.   
  
Thompson cuts in. "Gentlemen, might I remind you that Caffrey has a four-hour head start."   
  
"It shouldn´t be a problem. With his prisoner clothes and shaved head, he will stand out in a crowd." Peter says to Thompson.   
  
"About that…" Warden Haskley starts. "We haven´t cropped his hair in some time."   
  
Peter only looks at the warden. _Unbelievable, only Caffrey_ …   


_*  *  *_

  
"Do you have a scent article? Peter asks, looking around. When the guards just stare at him, he specifies ´Something with Caffrey´s scent on it."   
  
Norman holds up a dirty, faded woolen black and white shirt. Peter grabs the item and holds it in front of Billie and just says ´Zoeken´ ( _search_ ). Billie, who has been standing next to Peter until then, becomes a dog obsessed. Peter grabs her leash. It is a thirty-foot long leather leash that connects to an iron ring on her harness. Peter never believed in a neck collar. Peter realizes that he treats his dog better than the prison system their prisoners.   
  
Billie starts sniffing in the wider area of the chain gang and starts trailing. Peter follows Billie at the end of the leash, giving her space to maneuver. While he follows her, he checks his FBI issued Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum. Caffrey has never used violence in his past crimes, but he was just a kid, who knows what he picked up in prison, especially Auburn. But for some reason he is comfortable with doing this manhunt alone.   
  
The rest of the men stay with the prisoners to escort them back to prison.   
  
Billie seems to be trailing and they walk for hours. It is already getting dark when Peter decides to go home and get some rest and diner and to come back first thing in the morning. It is no use to hunt someone down in the dark and they are still not too far from his cottage. He prefers sleeping in his own bed than here in the wilderness.   
  
When they arrive home, Peter´s parents have already gone to sleep. The lights in their house are off, so he walks up to his own cabin and enters the kitchen to see if El has left out some meat for Billie. He feeds and waters her and then goes inside to get dinner himself.   
  
El is waiting for him with corn soup. She also made some fricasseed chicken and brown rice with broiled tomatoes. Peter is so hungry he even eats the blueberry pudding El made as dessert.   
  
When he is finished, Peter joins El on the porch.   
  
"What was he thinking, El? If I catch him, he is going back, and it will be far worse." Peter sighed.

El just holds his hand and tries to get Peter to relax.

 

  
*  *  *   
  
Neal has a feeling that he is slowing down. His injuries are catching up with him. He is abnormally hot and sweaty but blames it on running through the forest on this hot August day.   
  
He looks down and sees that he's finally stopped bleeding. When he started running away from the guards, he had felt a knick in his side. Running for dear life, he hadn´t thought about it until he had stopped for the first time at a creek to drink. It turned out that a bullet had grazed him. It had bled a lot but luckily it had stopped.   
  
He stops again at a small pond to wash up and drink. While he is resting, he spots a hunting cabin. He walks up to the cabin, finds a piece of metal on the ground and quickly picks the lock.   
  
Inside he finds some candles, but he doesn´t dare to light them. He looks in the cupboards and finds some clothing that sort of fit. But he can´t find any food. Too bad, but he has water, so it will be OK. He lies down on the small cot and almost immediately falls asleep.   
  
Sometime during the night, he wakes up too hot, too sweaty and too thirsty. He gets up and drags himself back to the river. He shivers in the cold night air. He stumbles on the rocks on the riverbank and hits the ground with his knees. He drinks eagerly of the water and notices that the night is transforming into dawn already. It will be light soon and he needs to move again. He can´t believe he wasn´t caught while he was sleeping. His chasers must have called it a night as well.   
  
He starts walking again, and if he is correct, he is walking to the south, to New York City, to Kate. He has to find her. The last letter that he received from her was a goodbye letter. He hasn´t seen Kate in over three years as only family is allowed to visit prisoners once a year. And they never got to marry, because he was arrested before he could propose to her. Damn that special agent Burke. He had used Kate to get to Neal, and Neal had been arrogant enough to walk into the trap.   
But she faithfully wrote him once a month. The last letter, however, basically told him it was over. Maybe not in so many words, but Neal knows how to interpret Kate´s words. He is worried about her. He can´t believe she would have written this letter voluntarily. He has to talk to her. He has to make sure she is alright.   


 

*  *  *

 

At first light, Peter gets in his shirt and jeans overalls, grabs his hat and goes out to feed Billie. He grabs himself some bread with eggs and coffee. He asks El if she can make him a lunch box. When she hands him his pail, he kisses her and takes off. His dad comes out of the house to join them, but Peter tells him to stay home as Neal is not a violent criminal and he has his service weapon with him as backup, just in case. His dad will only slow him down.  
  
Billie is quickly back on Neal´s track. Peter smiles; that is why he went back home to sleep last night. He knew that Billie could find a track up to seventy-two hours after it was left.   
  
Within an hour they are standing in front of a deserted hunting cabin. Peter lets go of the leash, draws his gun and enters. What he finds inside worries him. The inmate prison uniform lays discarded on the floor, but when he picks it up, he sees the dried blood on the side of the shirt.   
  
Neal can´t be far ahead, and if he is wounded, he will be slowed down considerably. Billie hopefully will find him soon. Because the alternative is not as attractive, as these forests are filled with bears, cougars and wolfs.

  
  
*  *  * 

  
Neal is stumbling. He has trouble keeping focus and he starts to realize that he is probably walking in circles, as he hasn´t been paying attention to his surroundings. He needs food and water quick. He feels lightheaded and sick, but he lost track of his own thoughts a while ago.   
There was a reason why he needs to keep moving, why he is running, but he can´t keep his thoughts together.   
  
He startles when he hears a branch snap behind him and he takes off, but since his limbs seem to lead a life of their own and nothing is responding to his brain anymore, he stumbles and falls over a tree log. When his cheek connects with the ground, he is out immediately.   
  
Had Neal looked behind him, he would have seen it was a deer.   
  
  
__  
  
Peter hears a branch snap and sees Billie stop and look intently into the woods. But then she starts sniffing again, picking up the trail. Peter realizes it is a deer, but Billie couldn´t care less. Once she is on a trail she will not get distracted.   
  
Billie was trained as a so-called ´silent trailer´, so she never outs her voice during trailing. As she starts pulling, Peter realizes that she is getting closer to their target. Within minutes, Peter sees a human shape laying next to a fallen tree. The person is laying face down and when Billie reaches the figure, she just lets out a small howl and lies down next to the man.   
  
Peter gently turns the man over and almost doesn´t recognize him.   
  
"Oh Neal…" he just sighs.   
  
Neal needs medical help. Peter just can´t provide that here in the outdoors. Neal looks emaciated, his wrists and ankles are covered in infected sores and he radiates off a heat that Peter knows to be dangerous. He needs assistance and he needs it fast.   
  
He finds some azalea flowers and attaches some to Billie´s harness, calls Billie to attention and lets her sniff a handkerchief of El's and says ´Zoek mama´ ( _Look for mama)_.  He hopes Billie will find El without a scent trail and lead her back to him. The flowers will tell El that he is alright, but hopefully she will understand that he needs help from her. He can only hope.   
  
Peter tries to make Neal comfortable. Luckily, Neal has taken one of the blankets from the hunting cabin with him, so he uses it to roll Neal into and keep him warm. He doesn´t want him to lie on the damp ground. Neal never stirs during the process.   
  
Peter remembers crossing a small creek, so he walks back to fill the thermos El has put in his lunch pail. When he returns, he tries to lift Neal´s head and to get some water in him, but the water just dribbles out of Neal´s mouth as he doesn´t attempt to swallow.   
Peter takes a drink himself and takes out one of the sandwiches. He smiles when he opens the wax paper. El has made him his favorite, deviled ham sandwiches. When he is about to finish his sandwich, he hears a low moan next to him. Neal is tossing and turning in the blanket. When Peter touches his forehead, Neal´s eyes open a bit… and he startles badly.   
  
"Please don´t put me in the sweat box, I'll be good, I will work harder tomorrow." Neal hoarsely whispers He tries frantically to get up and out of the confining blanket. He doesn´t even seem to register that Peter is there.   
  
Peter just goes silent and looks at his charge. He knows that the American prison system isn´t perfect. And he had been present in the courtroom when Neal was sentenced to 4 years at Auburn prison for a $5 bond forgery. But still, he hadn´t expected to find Neal in such a bad shape. He somehow thought Neal would manage to sweet talk himself into a less strict regime, but it turned out he had been placed in a chain gang, as the only white guy… Life couldn´t have been easy for him the last couple of years. Well, the way Neal´s body looks is testimony enough. The boy must have gone through hell and back.   
  
The last time he saw Neal, he was a suave conman, nice suit, hear cut to the latest fashion, sweet talking himself in the finer aspects of life. He and his girlfriend lived the high life.   
At the moment, Neal looks nothing like that confident kid Peter arrested more than three years ago.   
  
Peter tries to get Neal to drink some water, but Neal only starts coughing and becomes more agitated, so Peter stops trying. ´Stay with me Neal,´ he mumbles. ´I am not here to hurt you.´   
  
During the hours they wait, Peter tries to cool down Neal with little success. It seems that the fever is getting higher and Neal is only getting worse. Eventually, he starts to wake up, but he is mumbling incoherently and it looks like Neal is becoming delirious, mumbling in Irish, French and even Italian.   
Peter is really getting worried, but releases a relieved sigh when he hears horses and Billie´s happy howl.   
  
Peter has never been happier seeing his wife in his whole life. He gets up and kisses her when she gets off her horse.   
  
"I brought food and water.´ El smiles, until she sees Neal. ´Oh Hon, is he…?"   
  
"No, but he is getting close. He is in a really bad shape. We need to get him home so we can attend his injuries"   
  
Between the two of them, they manage to get Neal on Peter´s horse. Peter quickly mounts behind Neal while El holds Neal as best as she can, as he sits slumped against the neck of Peter´s horse. When they take off, Peter has a hard time holding onto Neal, as he sits completely limp against Peter and is in danger of sliding of the horse. So they stop and El gets some rope out of the saddlebags and ties Neal to Peter. Peter feels that he will be sore and stiff tomorrow as Neal hangs in the ropes as a dead weight.   
  
It is already dark when they arrive back at their cabin. Peter carries Neal into the house and places him on the only table in the cabin. El is already gathering clean clothes they can use to bandage the wounds. After making sure Neal will not fall off the table, restraining him with ropes, Peter goes outside to the well to gather water. He puts a pot of water on the stove and waits for it to start boiling.   
He can hear Neal moaning and stirring on the table. He is also babbling, but Peter can’t make out the words from where he is standing.   
  
When Peter approaches the table with the boiled water, El is already putting wet towels on Neal´s head, wrists and ankles in an attempt to get his fever down.   
Neal becomes agitated and starts pulling on his restraints. "No, please… not the hitching post." Peter grits his teeth when El asks him what Neal means by that. Peter explains to her that prisoners are sometimes cuffed to a chest high hitching post and left there all day in the baking sun or the bitter cold, without any food or water. Prisoners are hitched up in awkward positions, standing on their tiptoes or bent over. It is a cruel punishment.   
  
El only lets out a small whimper. "Poor kid."   
  
When El starts to clean out the graze wound, she gasps. It is deeper than she thought. Peter takes a closer look and at that moment Neal suddenly opens his eyes and looks around in panic. When his eyes fall on Peter standing near his feet, he tries to scramble backwards, but isn´t able to due to the restraints.   
  
"The wound needs to be sewn," Peter states.   
  
El goes to look for some silk thread, and when she comes back, Peter puts it in the boiled water together with the needle. He washes his hands and then proceeds to sew the wound shut. Neal grits his teeth but can´t stop the moans that form in his throat. Sometime during the procedure, Neal passes out. Peter bandages the wound and can only hope that it doesn´t become infected. Then he turns his attention to the wounds around his ankles, while El takes care of his wrists. Neal's wrists are raw but not in too bad a shape. His ankles, however, are severely infected. Peter scrunches his nose when he sees some maggots in the wounds. He wants to pick them out of the wounds, trying not to gag, when El stops him.   
  
"Leave them, they will eat away the dead flesh."   
  
Peter looks at her in disbelief, but he has learned not to second-guess his wife. He cleans out the dirt as best as he can and leaves the maggots alone.   
Then he starts cleaning Neal with a washcloth and warm water. The grime on his body is not from the last couple of days; Neal hasn´t washed up in some time.   
  
Neal contracts his face from time to time, clearly in pain and discomfort. After Peter asks El to give them some privacy, he undresses Neal and turns him, when he does, he gasps. Neal´s back and buttocks are covered in welts from lashes. Some old scars, but the ones on his buttocks seem fresh, still looking angrily red. When Peter lays his hand on them, Neal flinches. Peter hasn´t tied him down since they bandaged his ankles and wrists. Peter lays his hands on both shoulders and speaks softly to Neal that everything will be OK, that he will be OK. Neal´s eyes stay semi-open, not really registering anything. Peter calls for El, after covering Neal with a sheet.   
  
"Can you get the Dilaudid? There should be some pills in my bag."   
  
When El returns with the bottle, Peter takes two pills and crushes them between two spoons and dissolves them in some water. He then lifts Neal´s head and tries to get Neal to drink. With Neal out of it, but conscious, they manage to get most of the water into Neal. The combination of wound tending, pain and exhaustion gets to Neal, and with the Dilaudid, Neal falls in a sedated sleep. Peter picks him up and lays Neal in one of the beds.   
He then goes back to the porch where El is waiting for him, after she cleaned up the table where they took care of Neal.   
  
"Your mum brought some rabbit stew.." She lays her hand on his knee and squeezes it.   
  
Peter smiles. How did he manage to end up with such a beautiful, understanding and smart wife? She looks spectacular, even now that her clothes are smudged with blood and grime.   
Peter goes back into the kitchen and puts a pot of water on the stove, so they can wash up themselves. He then goes back outside to feed Billie, who is lying contently at El´s feet, but immediately follows Peter when she smells the rabbit's carcass.  When he is done tending to Billie, he walks back up the porch and smiles at El.   
  
"What are you going to do? You can´t send him back in this condition. He won´t survive."   
  
"I know El, but I am FBI, I can´t aid and abet a fugitive."   
  
"I know Hon, but did you see the state he is in? This is not justice; this is cruel and unusual punishment. I thought there are laws against the abuse of prisoners."   
  
"There aren´t El. Let´s wash and turn in, and we will see tomorrow."   
  
Billie takes her place near the back door on an old blanket and Peter checks one last time on Neal before going to bed.   


*  *  *

 

Peter jumps out of bed when Billie nicks his hand with her teeth. She had never done such a thing before. He looks around disoriented and then realizes that it is still night. He looks around the cabin and sees that she trots over to Neal. Peter quickly lights a candle and walks over, noticing Neal´s ashen color, his skin covered with a sheen of sweat. Heat is radiating off him even from a distance. Peter wonders why Billie has woken him, but then he sees that Neal is breathing very shallowly. This is not good.  
  
He applies new wet clots on Neal´s pulse points and tries to get some water in Neal. When he looks closely, he can see Neal breathing more deeply and evenly. He continues changing the cloths and eventually Neal looks more peaceful and Peter falls asleep in the chair next to him, with Billie at his feet.   
  
Peter is gently woken by El, who kisses him on his forehead. "How is he?" he asks El.   
  
"I guess the fever broke last night, although he is still warm. But he is no longer burning up."   
  
Peter tries to rouse Neal to get some water in him. Neal starts to wake, but he doesn´t really wake up. But he is awake enough to swallow the boiled water with herbs El prepared and a Dilaudid tablet. Peter lifts Neal off the bed while El changes the sheets, which are all clammy with sweat. He then gently lowers Neal, who is completely oblivious to whom is helping him, back in the bed.   
  
Around 9:00, Peter gets dressed and saddles his horse, calls Billie and rides into town to report to the local sheriff. He doesn´t dare visit the pharmacist as it would be suspicious if he gets bandages and other supplies.   
  
He tells the local sheriff that he couldn´t find Caffrey and that Billie had lost the trail somewhere in the woods. With Caffrey on the loose for over seventy-two hours, he could be over the Canadian border by now. Then again, he told the sheriff that he had found blood on the trail and that Caffrey probably was shot during the escape. Being alone and wounded in the woods, he would be a quick and easy prey for bobcats, wolves or even bears.   
  
It is close to noon, so Peter has lunch in one of the local diners where they have a radio. He asks if they can put on the baseball game. God, how he misses his radio back home.   
  
He orders some root beer and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and they are almost as good as El´s. When he is done with his lunch he walks over to the general store and picks up a newspaper, a loaf of bread, some steak and some leftover meat cuts for Billie before returning home.   
  
When he enters the cabin, he immediately sees that Neal is conscious, but not totally with them.   
Neal makes a feeble attempt to turn over and pales, so Peter helps him, just in time to feel the warm contents of Neal´s stomach dribble over his chest. He is barely able to keep his own stomach under control, and puts Neal back on the bed, quickly stepping out of his jeans and shirt. He notices that Neal scratched at his own arms and body and he can see welts forming, he can also feel that the fever has returned. He grabs a cup and pours some of the herbal tea in it and adds another Dilaudid pill. Within minutes after taking it, Neal is out in a medicated sleep.   
  
Peter noticed that El has changed the dressings, so he tells Billie ´Blijf´ ( _Stay_ ) and starts cleaning himself and Neal before looking for El.   
He finds her at his parents´ place and he can tell by the relaxed atmosphere that she hasn´t told them they are hiding a fugitive. Good, he doesn´t know what he would say.   
  
What has he gotten himself into?   
Peter´s dad asks why Billie lost the trail. His dad knows she is very well trained and one of the best trailers in their county. Peter just says that he doesn´t know, maybe she has lost the ability for trailing while living in New York. There she is just a pet and left at home when Peter goes to work. Maybe Caffrey was already dead and eaten by wildlife. Peter just tells his dad it is anybody´s guess.   
They are having apple pie and coffee when Peter sees Thompson stopping in front of the house.   
  
"I was on my way to your place, Agent Burke."   
  
"Well, you have found me, how can I help you? My wife and I are leaving for New York first thing tomorrow morning, as my leave is over and duty calls in New York."   
  
"You were re-assigned, remember?"   
  
"Of course, I was." Peter says sarcastically.   
  
"I want to see the place where you lost Caffrey."   
  
"I will get Billie." He gives the dog a whistle and Billie comes running towards the house.   
  
Peter, Thompson and Billie drive as far as they can and then start walking to where Billie lost the track.   
  
Thompson gives the scent article to Peter, who tells Billie ´Niet zoeken´ ( _Don´t find_ ). Billie starts sniffing but doesn´t follow the trail.   
  
"Why do you speak in tongues to your dog?" Thompson asks.   
  
"I don´t talk in tongues, it is Dutch. I taught her because as a law enforcer I cannot have a convict giving my dog orders." Peter remarks annoyed. Uneducated prick. 

After an hour, Thompson is fed up and wants to go back home.  
  
"Kom Billie" ( _Come_ ). The hound happily comes running to Peter and they go back home.   
  
'You can drop me off at my parents' place, we´re having dinner together before we leave for New York.'   
  
During the ride back, he explains to Thompson what he has told the sheriff that he thinks Neal has crossed the Canadian border by now or was killed or sub come to the elements or wildlife. They agree that that is what probably happened and Thompson says he will write up the report and thanks Peter for his time.   
When he is dropped off at this parents', Peter waits until he is sure Thompson left and then walks back to El. He finds El tending to Neal and changing his dressings. Neal struggles back into awareness. He leans into El´s touch, whispering "Kate." Peter should have known; everything in Neal´s life revolves around Kate. She was the reason Peter captured Neal in the first place.   
  
"El, we are leaving for New York tonight. We can get proper medical attention for him and nobody has to know who he is. It will be much easier to tend to him in the city."   
  
Neal seems to be more aware and El tries to coax him into eating some chicken broth and another Dilaudid. When Neal is back under, they wash up and have dinner at Peter´s parents.   
  
When they arrive back in the cabin later that night, it is dark and Billie is lying next to Neal on the bed. Peter fueled and packed his Ford Model Y earlier in the day, so they wrap Neal into a blanket and Peter carries Neal to the car. He lays Neal on the back seat, covers him with a thick blanket and then calls Billie. She lies down in the foot well in front of Neal.   
  
As the drive back will take almost five hours, they are ready for the long haul. Driving in the dark on these rural roads takes all of Peter´s concentration. After two hours, they stop for a rest as Billie starts whining in the back. El feels Neal´s head and realizes his fever is back. They brought a thermos with the herbal tea and Peter raises Neal´s head in an attempt to get some into Neal. But Neal starts to gag so Peter drags him from the back seat, just in time, as he starts to vomit. As Dilaudid provides a sedative function, Peter crushes a pill and puts it in Neal´s mouth, not wanting him to choke on the pill, and washes it down with some water.   
They eat some cakes Peter´s mom gave them and then get back on the road as Peter wants to be home before morning.   


*  *  *

  
Neal wakes up a couple of times but is never awake enough to interact. The next time he starts to rouse, he feels vibration and noise. He also hears some heavy breathing, no, correction, panting next to his head. But he is just too tired and weak to turn his head and look where the noise is coming from.   
  
He must have made a noise, because the vibration stops and his head is lifted. He feels something lukewarm against his lips and tries to swallow, but when the liquid reaches his tongue, the bitter taste makes him gag.   
He feels himself being pulled off whatever he is lying on. Just in time, because he starts heaving, although there is nothing in his stomach. When he is done retching, he feels something cool on his face, and something bitter is placed in his mouth. He tries to get rid of it, but then there is some refreshing water and he swallows. After that everything is a blur and eventually everything fades to nothingness.   
  
He wakes again to a whimpering and something wet touching his face. He startles but is too weak to pull away. He is sweating and feels dizzy. He feels himself slip away again.   
  
The next time he fights his way back into consciousness, the vibration and noise are gone and he is lying in a bed with soft, nice smelling sheets. There is something warm lying next to him, he moves his hand and feels something furry. It certainly does not feel like the hard bench in his prison cell. However, he feels hot, dizzy and nauseated, weak and hot and cold all at the same time, and he is  thirsty.   
Eventually, he moves his head and when he finally gets his eyes to focus, he sees a pitcher with water and a glass, so he reaches out…   
Suddenly there is a loud bark next to him, and it startles him so badly that he falls out of the bed and he feels himself hitting the ground. At the same time he hears the door open and sees a pair of feet coming towards him.   
  
"Neal, damn it, what were you thinking?" Peter picks him up and lays him back on the bed. But Neal is already out before Peter tucks him in.   
  
Neal keeps complaining about dizziness and nausea, and Peter gets worried. But Neal´s health is improving, and his infections are healing due to El´s herbal plasters she has been putting on the wound since they arrived back home in New York. The stitched wound in his side is also healing nicely. The fever gradually went down and since Neal wasn´t complaining about pain, Peter stopped giving the Dilaudid.   
  
The next day, Neal is shaking, sweating and white as a sheet. El and Peter immediately check his wounds, but they all look fine. They have no explanation as to why Neal has taken a turn for the worse.   
  
An indefinite amount of time later, Neal wakes because he feels something cold and wet against his hand. When he blearily opens his eyes, he sees it is a big dog with droopy eyes, which stands next to him. When the dog sees that he is awake, she barks, startling Neal again, but it also stirs someone in the house, because he hears someone coming up some stairs.   
A beautiful brunette sticks her head around the door and when she sees he is awake, she smiles.   
  
"Hi sweetie, I will help you drink some water. It is good to see those baby blues." she says while entering the room.   
  
During the day, Neal is getting worse, the fever is increasing, and he is shaking, vomiting. El and Peter are at a loss as to what is causing these symptoms.   
  
Billie stays next to Neal during the whole time. The human she found is sick, so she stays vigil. The human is important to her boss and he treats him as a pack member, so that means he is also important to her.   
When Peter goes to check on Neal later that evening before going to bed, Neal starts convulsing. Peter calls out to El to bring some cold water. He then starts to place wet towels on Neal´s pulse points, hoping to get the fever down. Luckily, the seizure isn´t too bad and it's over quickly. Peter tells El to go get some sleep and that he will stay with Neal and clean up the mess, as Neal has relieved himself after the seizure.   
  
During the night, after hours of listening to Neal´s delirious ramblings, the fever breaks. Peter is baffled, but too exhausted to try to figure it out. He falls asleep in the chair next to the bed with Billie sleeping next to him.   
  
When Neal finally wakes up, he just blinks, too weak to get up; he just stares back at the woman sitting next to him. She feeds him some water and a pill.   
  
"You´re safe, Neal. Peter went to work early this morning, so he will be home soon. Go back to sleep."   
  
Neal wants to ask her where he is, who she is, who is Peter? But instead he falls back asleep.   
He wakes again because a deep male voice says ´Kom hier meisje´ ( _come here girl_ ), and the warmth next to him is suddenly gone. He blinks, and a man comes into focus… Neal flinches. It is agent Burke, the g-man that put him in prison. He is done for; he will be back in prison so fast… He tries to back away from Peter, but Peter just shushes him, tells him that everything will be OK, and gets up and leaves the room.   
  
The big bloodhound that has been standing next to him walks back to the bed and puts its head on Neal´s hand.   
Neal tries to move, but he feels so sick, he is worried that he will empty his stomach if he moves too much.   
  
The footsteps return and Peter re-enters the room with a steaming bowl. He pulls the chair towards the bed, lifts Neal´s head and fluffs his pillows and then lays Neal back, a bit more upright and comfortable. He also brought a damp towel to freshen up his face. By now, the bowl has cooled down, and Peter picks it up and starts to feed Neal from it. It turns out to be chicken broth and it tastes like heaven, but soon Neal´s stomach starts to turn and Neal is starting to look green around the gills. Peter is worried. The wounds look a lot better. The fever is not yet gone, but much better and nothing explains the dizziness and nausea Neal is experiencing. Peter stops spoon feeding Neal, and gives him some water. He explains to Neal that they are out of Dilaudid pills, but that he will go to the pharmacist and gets some new ones.  Neal says he is fine and that he doesn´t want the pills anymore.   
  
Soon, Neal starts to doze off, so Peter leaves him under the care of Billie. He goes downstairs and sits at the table with The New York Times. He hasn´t finished the cross word puzzle yet. The radio is playing some jazz and El is in the kitchen preparing dinner. Life is good, except for the felon who is lying in the guest bedroom. What they are doing is aiding and abetting a fugitive. This can cost him his career and worse.   
  
After dinner, El checks on Neal who is still out and she and Peter go for a walk with Billie.   


 

*  *  *

 

Peter puts his hat on and gives El a goodbye kiss. The weather is warm, so he takes his suit jacket with him, instead of wearing it. She hands him his lunch pail and a thermos of coffee. This will keep him going until Diana, his secretary, can make him some fresh coffee at the office. He never managed to get some decent brew out of the office machine. When he enters the city, he sighs. Crime is at his peak here in New York City, pockets bursting with bootlegging profits, paying off politicians and police officers are daily business. Criminals cross State lines, because they know that police have no jurisdiction. That is why he wanted to become a FBI agent, instead of a police officer. He believes that law enforcement should be able to cross state borders, just as criminals do.  
  
He arrives at the FBI headquarters, realizing that his team is already working their latest case. They are after 'The Dutchman', a white collar criminal that seems to be able to disappear every time the FBI comes close.   
When he finally sits behind his desk, his boss stands outside his office and gives him the double-finger point, so he gets up, and follows Reese into his office.   
  
"I heard you spent some time chasing Caffrey, during your holiday." Hughes states. "What happened?"   
  
"We have to talk, sir." Peter stares at Hughes. He knows he is committing career suicide, but he owes it to the kid. He is the one that got Caffrey arrested the first time so they could convict him. But he had never thought that Neal would end up in a chain gang for a $5 bond forgery. The punishment was not in comparison to the crime. Neal could be used so much better; he is smart, intelligent and capable of helping the FBI with their caseload. But is he willing?   
  
"Let´s grab some breakfast," Hughes suggests, grabbing his hat.   
  
They go to a diner away from headquarters, so they are unlikely to run into colleagues.   
  
"Want to enlighten me?"   
  
"OK, I will not beat around the bush. I found Caffrey."   
  
Hughes sucks in his breath. He looks angry and disappointed all at once.   
  
"Hear me out. I, well Billie, found Caffrey in the woods. He was unconscious, wounded and starved."   
  
Peter tries not to see the image again.   
  
"Hughes, he was tortured. You know the kid was non-violent; he never harmed anyone with his crimes."   
  
"Peter, this is not up to you or me. He is a convicted felon."   
  
"I know, Hughes, but you should have seen him, he was whipped, he…"   
  
"Where is he now?"   
  
"At my place. El is taking care of him."   
  
"You left your wife with a convicted felon, a fugitive?"   
  
"Yes, I trust him, and I am confident in my wife´s capabilities."   
  
Hughes smiles, thinking of Peter´s wife. _He has met her on several occasions and she is well capable of taking care of business on her own._   
  
"What are you planning to do?"   
  
"I don´t know." Peter confesses honestly. "First of all, get him back on his feet, I guess."   
  
"He will run Peter, and your career will go down the drain, if the higher-ups find out."   
  
Peter´s shoulders slump. _What was he thinking_? _Hughes is right, Caffrey will run at the first chance he gets. It is what he does, … he runs. He had said so himself when he was chasing Caffrey, he had put it in his case file. He will run straight to Kate and the girl is no good for him._   
  
"Let me nurse him back to health and let this be my responsibility, but I need help with the paperwork." Reese tells Peter that he will see what he can do. They both finish their coffees and go back to work.   
  
  
When Peter returns back at the office, Diana is waiting for him.   
  
"Boss, they need you at the Midtown bank. There is a lead on the Dutchman." Peter looks at Diana. _She would make a great FBI Agent, hell, she is probably better than some of his men. Too bad the FBI doesn´t recruit female agents._   
Thirty minutes later, he is standing in front of a row of safes. ´Safety deposit box 118 is registered to a man named Charles Honeywell, it was flagged by the bank.' one of the probies says.   
  
"Get me someone that can crack the safe."   
  
One of the technicians steps forward and pulls out a stethoscope and starts working on the safe.   
  
Peter is waiting impatiently, as his fellow agent tries to crack the safe. When he hears the agent call out that the last pin dropped, Peter shouts ´Wait´, but the agent already pulls the lever to open the safe.   
A soft explosion sounds and Peter runs into the vault room and pulls the other agent out. They are both covered with some sort of ink.   
  
"What happened?" the other agent pants.   
  
"I told you to wait and you didn´t wait, now all my evidence is lost."   
  
Peter storms away. He needs distance. His team has spent hundreds of hours on this case and now his evidence is gone.   
By the time he gets home, he has cooled down. When he enters the house, it smells delicious. El has been cooking some beef stew, and he smells fresh baked pie.   
  
"Hi Hon, how was your…" El stops talking when she turns around and sees Peter´s appearance. "Oh hon." she giggles.   
  
"I´ll wash up. Can you make me some coffee, please?"   
  
He goes upstairs to change into clean clothes, but first he stops at the guest bedroom where Neal is staying.   
When he enters, Neal is asleep, but he wakes when Peter approaches the bed and Billie starts whining softly.   
  
"How are you feeling?"   
  
Neal just looks at Peter. "OK, I guess." He shrugs. "Peter, do you know what is on your clothes?" Neal looks excited.   
  
"No, it is from a case I was working on today."  
  
"It is the new dye for the new Canadian dollar bills."   
  
Peter just stares at Neal dumbfounded. "How do you know that?"   
  
"It is what I do, Peter."   
  
Peter sees that Neal is being honest. Inwardly, he smiles, he knew Neal was smart. And he likes smart.   
  
"Want to come down? El made cherry pie."   
  
"I don´t know if I can manage the stairs." Neal states honestly.   
  
"Together, we will manage."   
  
Peter grabs one of Neal´s arms and pulls him up. Neal is still way too skinny for a guy his size. He makes a mental note to talk to El about getting some fattening foods and some train oil to get Neal back to fighting weight.   
  
It is slow going, but finally they make it downstairs. Peter places Neal in one of the chairs at the table.   
  
"You look better." El remarks, putting a plate of cherry pie and a cup of tea in front of Neal.   
  
Neal devours his piece of pie. He hasn´t been aware how hungry he was until he saw the pie. El smiles, realizing Neal is getting his appetite back.   
  
"I would offer you another piece, but dinner is almost ready and I don´t want you to overeat, after so much time of limited nourishment." El looks a bit guilty. Her maternal instinct says _feed the boy_ , but intellectually she knows better.   
  
Peter can´t wait to discuss the dye matter with Neal. While El finishes dinner, they discuss the Dutchman case and by the time El brings the food to the table, Peter has an idea how to proceed in the case.   
  
During dinner, Neal is fading fast. They finish up quickly and Peter helps him back upstairs to bed. When Peter gets back down, he takes Billie for a walk, a plan forming in his head.   


*  *  *

  
The next morning, Peter asks Diana to schedule a meeting with Hughes.   
  
When Peter arrives home that night, Billie is nowhere to be seen. Normally she is already waiting for him at the door, when he climbs the stairs to the front door.   
  
_El!_ His heart skips a beat realizing that he left El alone with Neal. Now that Neal is getting his strength back, who knows what he will do? Although Neal always had been non-violent in the past, who knows what he is really capable of when desperate?   
He grabs his gun and enters the house. He calls out, but nobody replies. He then leaves the house again and hears the happy howl of Billie. He looks down the street and it is then that he sees El, Neal and Billie on the sidewalk shuffling towards the house. El is supporting Neal and holding Billie´s leash at the same time. Neal looks pale and worn, but he has a determined smile on his face.   
Peter gives them a wave, to acknowledge that he saw them, and walks towards them.   
  
"What were you guys doing?"   
  
"Oh Hon, you were concerned. I am sorry, I should have left you a note, but I thought we would be back home before you. Neal needed some fresh air and he needed some more Dilaudid, so we walk to the pharmacist on the corner."   
  
After dinner, Peter discusses the case with an exhausted Neal, who gives Peter some useful tips on where to look and how to proceed with things. Peter knew that Neal would have insights into crimes that he doesn´t have as a FBI agent.   
  
Peter knows now that he had made a good decision in talking to Hughes.   


*  *  *

  
Two weeks later, there is a knock on the front door of the Burkes' residence. Neal slowly makes his way to the door, opens it and swallows… "Mister Hughes, I will call Peter."   
  
"Don´t worry, sit down, son."   
  
Neal shuffles to the table. Did Peter´s boss just call him ´son´?   
  
When they sit down at the table, Peter enters through the back door.   
  
"Ah Reese, you come bearing good news?"   
  
"Yes, I do. Stop looking so anxious, Neal, this is a good thing. Peter and I have spent some time discussing you and Peter is convinced that you will be an asset to the Bureau. I am not convinced, but Peter is, and I trust Peter, as he is my best agent and has never betrayed my trust. Don´t betray that trust, because I will bring down the full force of the FBI upon you, if you step out of line."   
  
Neal looks confused at Peter.   
  
Hughes pulls something out of his pocket. It is a leather bi-fold and when Neal opens it, it shows his picture. _FBI consultant._ Neal can´t hide a smile.   
  
"You will be mine for the next four years, you do understand that, don´t you?" Peter asks. "If you run and I catch you, which you know I will, you're back on the chain gang for good. No looking for Kate. She dumped you, accept it. You understand how this works?"   
  
"Yeah, I'm being released into the custody of the FBI under your supervision. Peter, this is the start of a wonderful relationship."   
  
_Einde (End)_  
  
  
  
  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> •Neal´s escape from the Chain gang is based on the story written by Robert Elliott Burns and is called ´I am a fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang´
> 
> •Neal´s turn for the worse is off course due to withdrawal from the Dilaudid, which is a highly addictive drug, but this was not known in the 1930s. 
> 
> •Train oil = whale oil, which comes from the Dutch word ´traan´ which means tear or drop.
> 
> •Peter´s choice of speaking Dutch to Billie, I saw an American State Trooper who spoke Dutch to his dog in a documentary. They didn´t comment on the language, but as I am native Dutch speaking, I understood the commands. And I thought it was smart to speak a language to your dog that is not really familiar to others. A friend of mine spoke French to her dog. It was always funny to see that the dog didn´t react to Dutch speaking persons, but perfectly when you spoke French.


End file.
